Chapter 13- Extreme Quidditch
Harry looked up at Cho and immediately, his spirits rose. She was the only thing that could truly cheer him up after miserably losing the final match. She alone had the power to make his spirit dance.
"Well…?" she said again, looking ravishing. She looked more like a goddess than a human; she gave off some sort of aura of wonderfulness wherever she went. Tonight, she was wearing a very tight silvery shirt that was encrusted with what appeared to be thousands of little diamonds. Her pants were actually rather plain in comparison to her top; blue bellbottoms with a few flower patches on them, and her hair was not done up in any particular manner, just down and looking long. But, Harry didn't mind at all. For all he cared, she could have worn a paper bag and she still would have been the most beautiful creature on Earth.
"Hello! Earth to Harry!" said Cho, waving her hand on front of Harry's face. Harry quickly shook himself back into the real world, still wondering how someone like her could possible like him.
"Oh yeah, I'm ready to go," said Harry quickly, beaming.
"Excellent," smiled Cho.
"I'll see you later, Ron," said Harry hastily, running up to Cho and blindly waving to his friend.
"Yeah, see you," said Ron back, sprinting off in the direction of what Harry thought was where Ak and his group of new fans went.
"I'll be right back Cho," said Harry. "I just have to change out of my school clothes quickly."
"Alright," she said, her arms crossed. "I'll be right here when you come back."
"I'll be back before you know it," said Harry, running off as fast as he could, all the way back to the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Hey, tough luck there Harry," said Chris when Harry arrived. He and just a few others were there. Except for a few occasions, this was the emptiest Harry had ever seen the Common Room. "Too bad about your game."
"Yeah yeah," said Harry, throwing him off, and sprinting to his dorm room. He quickly tossed of his black school robe, and threw it on his bed. He ran over to the mirror, tidied up his hair to the best of his ability, and went back downstairs. He opened up the door that lead to the rest of the school, and heaved a sigh.
"Oh no, not now!" yelled Harry to himself. He looked in front of him, to the staircases that were usually laid out in some sort of logical pattern. But tonight, they were feeling adventurous, and now… now there was no rhyme or reason to their layout. Some stairs were twisting and turning, looping around others; some were flipped left or right, and others were even totally upside down. "Now how am I going to get back to Cho in time?"
Harry looked around desperately for a staircase that was walkable and found one that headed off in a direction that he had never been to before. Harry ran down it, and arrived at a very old looking and decrepit door. He opened it quickly, and found himself in a dark corridor. But, there was a dim light at the end, and it was the only path that he could take, so Harry ran down it, not having a clue where he was going.
He soon arrived at the end of the tunnel, and it was lit by a single, flickering light bulb that appeared as though it was going to burn out any second. In front of him, there were three tunnels, each with a wooden sign above it.
"Headmaster, Death, and Main Corridor," read Harry. "Well, I don't think I'll take the Death hallway, and Headmaster seems like one for Dumbledore, so I'll take Main Corridor. Maybe that will take me where I want to go."
Harry ran down the slightly brighter tunnel, but not for long, and ended up right where the sign had said: The Main Corridor, where the rest of the hallways in the school spread out from.
"Good, I can find my way from here," said Harry to himself. He looked behind him to see the tunnel that had brought him here, but where he came out, there was now only a wall. "What? I could've sworn that it was here a second ago."
Harry examined the wall, but couldn't find a single opening in it. He put his hand up to the wall, and nearly yelled out in surprise. His hand went right through the solid brick! It was a interesting feeling and sight having your hand move through the wall as if it were made out of liquid.
"I wonder how many of these little passageways there are in this place," said Harry to himself, happy that he had found one of Hogwart's many secrets. "I'll explore it later, got to go see Cho now."
"Absolutely not!" came a very loud voice that made Harry jump. At first, he thought it was from someone who was reading his his mind and telling him not to go. Then, he saw that is was coming from one of the rooms in the hall. Harry crept up next to the one that the voice was coming out of and listened through the slightly opened door.
"Sir," came another voice, much quieter. It sounded very familiar. "You should keep your voice down, a student may hear you."
"Nonsense," came the first voice, slightly quieter this time. This one was also familiar, even more so. "All of them are busy praising the new Ak kid for his victory over Harry."
Just when Harry heard his name said, he immediately knew who that voice belonged to and was surprised he didn't recognize it sooner. It was Dumbledore! But… how did he know Ak had beaten him? He wasn't at the room when the club was meeting.
"But, you still haven't gotten it yet, have you?" came the other voice.
"No," said Dumbledore. "You-Know-Who has evaded me quite well, and I have been unable to get the Item from him. But I will get it eventually."
What was Dumbledore talking about? What did Voldemort have… and why was he referring to him as 'You-Know-Who'? Harry thought that Dumbledore of all people would call Voldemort by his real name.
"So he still has the Legendary Ingredient?"
"I'm afraid so," sighed Dumbledore.
So it was true! Dumbledore was trying to get the Ingredients for the Immortal Potion away from Voldemort so he couldn't make it. But, evidently Voldemort already had one, so the wizarding world was in trouble right now.
"Well…. Yeehaw," said the other voice. Just from that one word, Harry figured out who the other voice was. It was Professor Quirrell. Well, at least he knew for sure now that this Quirrell was definitely on the good side.
"Anyway," said Dumbledore, "we both have lots of work to do, I think we should cut this meeting short and go back to our labors."
"Agreed," said Quirrell. Harry heard them starting to walk out, and began to panic. How could he hide? Then he remembered his Animagus Invisibility Ring! Harry quickly transformed his entire body into the Gryffin, just when the two of them walked out. Harry froze for a second when he saw them exit into the hall, and stand right in front of him. Even though he knew he was invisible, it was still eerie to have them both right there, and not see him. He still felt as though he was going to be caught. Harry held his breath, could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and tried not move at all.
"See you later, Headmaster," said Quirrell.
"Yes, indeed," said Dumbledore. Then, he looked in Harry's direction. "Wait a minute…" Harry's heart was beating a mile a second, Dumbledore was walking right towards him!
"What is that?" he said again, this time looking directly at Harry. He bent over and put out his arm out, extending it right at him. Harry closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable…. He could feel his entire body going cold already, awaiting the impact of Dumbledore's hand on his face.
"Ack!" yelled Dumbledore, peeling something off of the wall and holding it between his fingers. "Bugs on the castle walls! I need to get Filch to clean this place more thoroughly."
Harry breathed the biggest sigh of relief that he had ever done in his life. He opened his eyes and waited until both Dumbledore and Quirrell were out of sight, and then a little while longer, just to be safe, until he finally turned back into his normal form.
"Oh man," said Harry, checking his watch. "I have to get back to Cho!" Harry ran as fast as he could all the way back to where she was waiting for him outside the Wizard Duel Club room.
"There you are!" yelled Cho. "What took you so long?"
"Staircase trouble," panted Harry, out of breath.
"Well, we've got to really hurry now! Let's go!"
"Alright," said Harry when he finally caught his breath, "where are we going tonight?" As soon as these words left his mouth, Harry felt a small pang of guilt. So far, it had been Cho who had been planning all of their little excursions; he had never helped in any way. But, Cho didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she was smiling.
"Oh… some place I think we'll both enjoy," she said as they reached the doors to exit the school. Harry quickly ran ahead and opened the door for her and presented the way with his arms.
"What are you doing?" asked Cho when she saw Harry.
"Um… holding the door for you," said Harry, getting up from his bent over position.
"Well… don't," said Cho, looking quite serious.
"Uh, why not?" asked Harry, letting the door close behind him.
"Well… err…" stuttered Cho. "Well, I just don't think it's right that you think you have to treat me differently just because we are different… well, you know."
"Yeah," said Harry quickly, not really knowing what to think. Shouldn't he treat her differently? Cho walked forward and opened the door herself, Harry followed behind.
"I thought your game may go late, so I didn't want to rent a broom since I wouldn't know what time to tell him to come," said Cho when they were outside.
"So, how are we going to get there?" asked Harry.
"With our own brooms," said Cho, moving to the side, and revealing Harry's Firebolt and Cho's… Firebolt?
"I didn't know you had a Firebolt too!" said Harry, running towards his broom that was hovering slightly off of the ground.
"Well, I recently came into a large sum of money," smiled Cho, "and I couldn't think of a better way to spend it then on a Firebolt. Now maybe I can keep up with you when we play again."
"Oh, you kept up with me fine last time," said Harry, mounting his broom. "In fact, if it wasn't for Ak's knowledge of the rules, we would've lost."
"Oh Harry…" said Cho, mounting her broom and flying up with him. "You keep putting yourself down, you're even better than you think."
"So where are we going anyways," asked Harry now that they were both in the air.
"Just follow me," said Cho, shooting off far ahead of Harry, her voice trailing.
Harry grinned and flew forward with a massive burst of speed.
"You can't catch me!" giggled Cho, still ahead of him. She was a really good flier, and the Firebolt only enhanced her natural ability. Harry had to catch up to her somehow….
He got an idea. Harry transformed the top of his back into massive Gryffin wings and flapped them madly, easily and quickly overtaking Cho. Once he got right next to her, she gazed at his wings, and then let out a scream.
"AAAHHH!" she yelled. "Harry! What's going on!" She began flying erratically from side to side and she lost her grip.
"Cho!" yelled Harry, spinning around and flying down to her. She was falling faster now, getting closer and closer to the ground… could Harry make it in time? He flew down faster, putting so much energy into making the broom go forward that he felt as though he were running. He could just barely get her now… he had to just think of her as a Snitch!
With this new thought in mind, Harry grabbed onto Cho's shoe and held onto her tightly.
"I've got you!" he yelled down to her.
"Harry!" she yelled to him. "Don't let go!"
"I won't!" yelled Harry back. He gripped his broom now with his legs, and held onto her with both of his hands now. Even though Cho was far from big, she was still not the lightest thing in the world and was getting harder to hold onto. He had to think of something quickly!
"Cho!" Harry yelled down to her. "I'm going to let go!"
"What?" she screamed back. "I told you not to let go! Don't let go!"
"Don't worry…" Harry said back, letting go of one leg.
"No Harry! No!"
"Don't worry," said Harry. "I'll-"
Just then, Harry's grip finally loosened, and he let go of Cho's other leg.
"Harry!" she yelled as she started falling again.
This time, Harry was prepared. He shot down, right passed Cho, and then stopped in midair, just below her. An instant later, Cho fell down, right onto Harry's broom, less than a foot above the ground.
"Harry!" she yelled, brushing her hair back.
"Yeah?"
"Nice catch," she grinned.
"Thanks," said Harry, flying back up next to Cho's hovering broom.
"But, never do it again."
"Sure thing," said Harry, stopping next to her broom, and letting her get onto it.
"But you did scare me with those wings there."
"I thought you knew I was an Animagus," said Harry when they were back on their way. "After all, most of the school does from watching that Quidditch game."
"Well," sighed Cho, "I guess I missed that match, and no one ever told me my boyfriend could become a bird."
"Well, a gryffin actually."
"Even better," grinned Cho.
The two of them flew on at a regular pace, they didn't want any more falling accidents. Most of the way, Cho stared at Harry's wings. Though, he couldn't blame her: they were rather beautiful after all.
"We're almost there," Cho said a few minutes later. Harry looked around to see if he recognized where he was. There were lights and buildings everywhere, but Harry didn't identify anything.
"Where are we?"
"On the outskirts of Hogsmeade," said Cho. "The 'less formal' part of the town…. Oh! There's where we want to be!" Harry looked where Cho pointed, and saw a large circular building that looked like a slightly smaller version of a Muggle stadium.
"What's in there?"
"The greatest game in the world," said Cho looking quite happy.
"Better than Quidditch?" asked Harry, slightly appalled.
"Oh yes," said Cho. "Definitely. Follow me inside, I've got reservations."
"Alright," said Harry, wondering what game could be possibly be better than Quidditch.
Cho did a fancy swerve down towards the ground, and Harry followed. They flew past the buildings and lights, and right above the heads of the mass of people below them, not to mention some other brooms flying by. Harry was amazed that all of this was hidden from the Muggle world. It must have taken some very powerful spells to pull it all off.
After just a few seconds of soaring through the small city, Cho stopped at the entrance of the stadium, and Harry did the same.
"We can keep out brooms here," said Cho, propping hers up against a large wall that had some other brooms on it, though no other Firebolts. Just when the tip of her broom touched the wall, a small hand erupted out of it and grabbed the handle of the broom, holding it securely in place.
"Those aren't real hands, are they?" asked Harry tentatively.
"Oh no," said Cho. "It's just an enchantment, though a very secure one. But come on and put yours up, we've got to get going!"
"Alright," said Harry, letting a hand grab his broom too. "Lead the way!"
Cho led Harry through a massive, semi-oval shaped opening in the side of the stadium. Harry saw that he and Cho were not alone going through, there were hundreds of other people all walking through the door as well, all talking excitedly.
"Where are we going?" asked Harry, trying to follow Cho through the throng of people, none of which he recognized from Hogwarts. All of them looked as though they were eighteen or twenty year olds, previous students, but not quite yet adults. Also, each of them appeared to be punks: varying colors of spiked hair with black jackets and sunglasses. Kind of like more extreme versions of Bill Weasley.
"To our seats," said Cho, grabbing hold of Harry's hand and leading him into the heart of the stadium that was filled with even more people, only slightly more organized into lines before three goblin cashiers. She pulled him along a bit more, passed the goblins, and through another massive, semi-oval shaped door.
The room that Harry entered now was completely different from the previous ones. There were hundreds, of not thousands of small, skinny cylindrical posts with a different colored sphere on top, popping up every few feet that seemed to fill acres of floor. But, the most surprising thing about the room was that there was not a single person in sight.
"What is this room?" Harry asked.
"It's the Portkey Room," said Cho, seeming as though she was looking around for something in particular. "From here, you are taken to your seat by touching the correct sphere."
"Well, which one is ours?"
"This one!" exclaimed Cho, pointing to a golden one that was right up front. "Top notch seats! I've had them reserved for a while, just for this occasion. Touch it with me and we'll be taken there."
Harry and Cho reached their arms out towards the golden sphere and touched it at the same time. Just when they did, Harry felt the usual Portkey Transportation feeling. It was as if there was a hook, just behind his navel, that tugged him into the sphere, a black oblivion forming all around him.
The nothingness lasted for only a second. An instant later, Harry found himself in a small, white room with one entire wall made of glass. Outside of the clear wall, Harry could see the entire playing field. On one side, there were three hoops of varying height, and the same on the other side. The field seemed very familiar….
"Wait a minute, Cho," said Harry. "This is just a Quidditch field."
"Well, not really," she said.
"How so?"
"You'll see," said Cho. "Sit down, Harry." She waved an arm to four large and comfortable looking red chairs that were lined up next to each other. Harry sat down in one, and he could still see the entire field. These really were good seats.
"How much longer until the game starts?" asked Harry, bouncing up and down in his chair, wondering what it was going to be like
"Well, thanks to your delays," said Cho sarcastically, checking her watch, "about… right now!"
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" boomed a voice that was only rivaled in volume by the giants. Even though the actual announcer was nowhere near him, the
sound still blew Harry backwards into his chair. "WELCOME TO THE FIRST MATCH OF THE YEAR IN EXTREME QUIDDITCH!"
"Extreme Quidditch?" asked Harry, his ears ringing already.
"Yeah, it's really cool," said Cho on the edge of her seat.
"PLEASE WELCOME THE VISITING TEAM… THE LONDON LACERATORS!"
The crowd around the playing field burst into a mass of applause and boos as eight players flew out on the field, waving their arms madly and doing fancy midair tricks. Harry noticed that all of their brooms were severely damaged, bandaged up all over with splinters sticking out and cracks everywhere. Each of the players were wearing massive gloves and hockey masks, prevented Harry from seeing their faces. But, through their black and metallic uniforms, Harry could see that their arms were heavily scarred and bruised all over.
"Why are there eight players?" asked Harry, noticing that there was one more than usual.
"Well, there's the normal seven players," said Cho, leaning closer to Harry so he could hear them, "and then there's a Placer. At first, he plays as a mixture of a Chaser and a Beater, but then, when a player dies, he takes over that player's previous position."
"Dies?" gulped Harry.
"Oh yeah," nodded Cho. "In Extreme Quidditch, players do tend to do that. Most teams would like to have three or four Placers, you know, so that they can replace their other teammates after the first one dies."
"Sounds horrid," shuddered Harry.
"It's great," said Cho, turning her attention back towards the field.
"AND NOW… THE HOME TEAM! THE HOGSMEADE HELL-RAISERS!"
Eight more players flew out onto the field, wearing the same gloves and masks and the same quality brooms, only these ones were wearing red uniforms instead of black. Again, the stadium erupted into applause, only adding the already off-the-charts amount of noise that was going on.
"PLAYERS! TO YOUR POSITIONS!" thundered the announcer. The sixteen players shot over to their spots: the Keepers to the goals, the Chasers lined up in front of each other, the Beaters were above them, the Seeker was above them, and then the Placer was out flying around the field, ready for anything. Even though Harry couldn't see their faces, he could tell that the players were spitting and screaming at each other by the fluids pouring out of their masks.
"RELEASE THE BALLS!"
In the middle of the field, a small hole opened up and the Quaffle, then the Bludgers, then the Snitch shot out.
"Well, other than the Placers and the extreme amount of violence, the actual game is not so different than regular Quidditch," observed Harry.
"NOW! SET THE FIELD!"
All of a sudden, dozens of smaller holes appeared in the ground along with another much larger one. Massive flames that went high above the stadium's top poured out of the smaller holes, and a chained down Hungarian Horntail popped out of the larger one, gave an ear shattering roar, and then beginning to spew more flames all around, making the air nothing more than one giant inferno.
"Okay," squeaked Harry, slouching back in his chair from fear, "maybe it is a little different than regular Quidditch."
"READY!…" boomed the announcer. "SET!… GO!
The effect of the announcer's words was instantaneous. All of the players shot off in every direction, though mostly towards each other. Two of the Chasers on the London team immediately went for two Chasers from the Hogsmeade team. They crashed in midair, and there was a fantastic boom and burst of fire. The announcer said something, but even his insanely loud voice was drowned out by the crowd that was now in an ecstatic frenzy.
"AND HOGSMEADE MAKES THE FIRST GOAL! ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY TO ZERO!"
"One hundred and fifty to zero!" exclaimed Harry. "But… they only scored one goal!"
"Yeah, but the rules are a bit different for Extreme Quidditch," explained Cho, looking through the window. "Goals are worth one hundred and fifty points and the Snitch is only worth ten, but it still ends the game."
"Why did they switch the points around?"
"Because if they kept the score for the Snitch the same," continued Cho, "all the players on the opposing teams would instantly go for their opponent's Seekers, and the Placers would be used up almost immediately."
"Oh… ok," said Harry, much happier that he was watching the game rather than playing in it.
Harry made attempts to see where the Quaffle currently was, but between the fire, smoke and dragon breath, it was impossible to see anything, except-
"AAAHHH!" yelled Harry and Cho together. One of the players on the London team had just crashed into their window. His face and hands were pressed up against the glass so hard that blood was coming out. But, he quickly pushed himself off and pulled his mask back down over his face.
"Sorry," he mouthed to the two of them as he flew away, back into the game. The Hungarian Horntail shot a gigantic ball of fire, molten rock and smoke right at him that knocked him out of the sky and then down to the ground. The London Placer quickly took his place, and the dragon gave a smile.
"You know Harry…" said Cho, scooting over closer to him. "You know what all this fire, blood, violence and dragons makes me want to do?"
"What?" asked Harry, scooting in closer as well.
"It makes me want to…" said Cho, closing her eyes. "Kiss you."
Cho moved in for the kill, and her target was Harry's lips. But, this was one attack Harry did not want to avoid. He brought his face a little closer to hers as well. He could feel their heads coming closer and closer together… then their mouths touched.
"Why thank you!" came a voice suddenly.
"That's an odd thing to say," said Cho.
"Uh… I didn't say it," said Harry, wondering what was going on. He opened his eyes and saw in front of him not Cho's face, but a very massive and very round head.
"Ah!" yelled Cho, scurrying back. "What are you doing?" "Getting in on your little love-in," piped the creature, smiling and battering his eyebrows. He looked almost exactly like the kid Harry had to fight at the Wizard Duel
club meeting; big head and small body, only this one's head was even bigger, and his body was even smaller. He had a tiny black jacket on, and what appeared to be extremely small wings popping out of his back.
"What are you doing here?" screamed Cho. "I reserved this box for Harry and me weeks ago!"
"Ahem," squeaked another creature that looked identical to the other that came into view from behind one of the other chairs. "We also reserved this place weeks ago. You can check our tickets." He handed Cho two small pieces of paper and she ripped them out of his tiny hand. After a quick examination, she handed them back to him, looking venomous.
"And after all," said the first one, "there are four chairs here after all!"
"Yeah," sighed Cho, falling back into her chair and crossing her arms. "I suppose so." The two creatures smiled at each other with their enormous mouths and sat down in the two chairs next to Harry.
"I just love… fire," said one of the creatures, conjuring a bag of popcorn.
"And I love Quidditch!" squealed the one that was closest to Harry.
"Will you keep it down?" yelled Harry, putting a finger to his lips.
"Hey!" piped the one that was in the chair next to Harry. "Nice ring!"
"Yeah," said Harry, quickly hiding his hand from sight. But, the creature followed his hand into the cushion of the chair. "Thanks."
"How much you want for it?" interjected the other one immediately, jumping off of his chair and walking in front of Harry. He reached into his pocket, and took out a large sum of money. "I have hundreds of galleons…."
"No," said Harry firmly. "It's not for sale."
"Are you sure?" asked the creature again, grinning and pushing the money further towards Harry's face so far that it was in danger of going up his nose.
"Yes," said Harry sternly, pushing the money back.
"Why not?" asked the other one curiously.
"It's a… family heirloom," said Harry quickly. "It has great sentimental value."
The creatures eyed him inquisitively with their massive eyes for a second. Then, the one that had been offering him money put it all away, shrugged, and walked back to his seat, talking quietly with his friend.
"Is that really an heirloom?" Cho asked Harry.
"I don't know," shrugged Harry back. "For all I know, it could very well be."
"What, did you buy it?"
"Yeah."
"Cool," said Cho. "You'll have to take me to the shop sometime. It's a really nice ring, maybe they have more of them."
"Maybe," sighed Harry, highly doubting that there would be another like his anywhere.
"AND LOOK AT THAT DRAGON GO!" continued the announcer. "THAT'S THREE GUYS HE'S TAKEN DOWN TODAY!"
Harry returned to watching the game that now had several less people playing in it than before. Harry tried to make out some of the players on the field, but it was even harder now than before, since there were fewer of them and they were more spread out, except for the ones that were engaged in individual fights.
"OH NO! AND THE HOGSMEADE SEEKER IS DOWN!…. WAIT A MINUTE! NO! HE WAS JUST GOING DOWN TO GET THE SNITCH! HOGSMEADE WINS ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY TO ZERO!"
The announcer said something else, but it was quickly drowned out by the roaring crowd. Amidst the lowering flames and the leaving dragon, fans from the stands leapt out of their seats and down onto the field, congratulating their team by suffocating them with their bodies.
"Well that was a short game," said the little person next to Harry, sounding a little annoyed and disappointed.
"Yeah, too bad," said Cho mockingly. "Why don't you two leave now… go on! Shoo!" She waved her arms furiously in the direction of the Portkey that brought them there.
"Nah," said the one father away. "We're going to stay here for a while, until the crowd calms down and we won't get hurt if we try to leave."
"Great," sighed Cho. She leaned in closer to Harry and whispered, "Now we'll never get any time together."
"Why don't we just go somewhere else?" whispered Harry back, looking at the two little things run face-first into the window and then drop to the floor giggling.
"No, most of the places are closed by now, and the ones that are open are just low-life taverns."
"How about we go back to Hogwarts, then?" suggested Harry. "Maybe, if we're lucky, no one's out in the halls now. But, if there are some, we could just do this some other time."
"Sounds better than nothing," groaned Cho, standing up. She turned to the two little creatures. "Boys… it has been a pleasure, but I'm afraid we have to go now. See you later."
"Bye bye!" they called back, banging their massive heads on the window.
"Freaks," muttered Harry as he walked over to the Portkey with Cho. They touched the sphere together and were brought back to the same, giant room that had all the transports to the seats in it. Harry expected to see many people leaving now, but there was not a person in sight.
"Where is everyone?" Harry asked as they started walking out.
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't everyone leaving now?" continued Harry as they passed the goblin cashiers, two of which were asleep. "I mean, the game's over."
"Nah," said Cho, shaking her head. "Now, the fun's just starting. The crowd will party with the winning team for hours."
"So why aren't we down there?"
Cho looked at him.
"Trust me… you don't want to be there."
"Cho," asked Harry when they exited the stadium through the huge open space, "how do you know so much about this Extreme Quidditch? Have you come to these games before?"
"Only once," she said, "to test it out. My friends, however, have been coming for a few months now."
"Do they like it?"
"Well, they more like the fact that prisoners are getting their just punishments."
"What?' asked Harry, confused. "What does Extreme Quidditch have to do with prisoners?"
Cho stopped in her tracks.
"It has everything to do with prisoners!" she exclaimed. "Who do you think those people are playing on the teams?"
"Crazy people?" shrugged Harry.
"No. They're all prisoners," said Cho. "Ever since Azkaban was destroyed, the Ministry has been trying to find out new ways to punish criminals. It wasn't until Dumbledore suggested Extreme Quidditch that there has been a real good solution."
"Dumbledore suggested it!" yelled Harry.
"Oh yeah," said Cho. "It's an ingenious thought, really. It punishes prisoners by making practically putting them on death row every game, it gives entertainment to the people, and it brings in revenue for the Wizarding Government."
"So Extreme Quidditch is still relatively new?" asked Harry, continuing to walk.
"Well, its only been around since the beginning of summer, so yes, I guess that constitutes as new."
They had finally arrived outside the stadium and were at the wall were they hung up their brooms. Cho reached up and took hers down quite easily. As soon as she touched her broom, the hand holding onto it let go immediately.
"Go on," she said, mounting her broom. "Get yours now."
"Alright," said Harry, reaching up to his. He grabbed onto the tip of the broom and tried to bring it down. But, no matter how hard he tried to pull the broom off of the wall, the hand would simply not let go.
"Err…. Get down!" yelled Harry, trying to tear it off of the wall now. He was shaking the broom furiously, almost in danger of breaking it. However, the hand was not budging a bit.
"What's wrong?" asked Cho, flying up a little
"My… broom… won't… come off!" yelled Harry, still trying.
"Oh come on," grinned Cho. "It's not that hard."
"Yes… it… is! It just won't-"
Suddenly, Harry heard a very high pitched shriek ring out around Harry and Cho. He quickly let go of the broom, and looked around.
"What was that?" asked Cho, landing back on the ground.
"I don't know," said Harry quietly, taking out his wand.
The shriek raised its ugly head again and Harry covered his ears. This time, it sounded much closer and was followed by a softer sound, like a cat landing on the ground.
"I think someone's here," whispered Harry, looking all around.
"Oh no…" said Cho, sounding nervous.
Once again, the shriek rang out and it was as if it came from right behind Harry. He quickly turned around, and behind him he saw one of the little people that was in the box with him and Cho. They were the ones making the sound.
"Ack! Not you!" yelled Harry, putting his wand away and covering his ears. "Stop making that noise!"
"I'm trying!" she replied. "But this one isn't letting me go!" Harry looked over and saw that she was being pinned down by the other little person that shared their box. He had also taken his mask off, but Harry didn't recognize who he really was.
"What do you want, Wormtail?" asked Harry through gritted teeth.
"You know what I want," he said, making the rest of his body grow back to its normal size. "I want your Ring! Well, actually, I don't want it… my master does, for another one of his beautiful plans. Remember, Harry, in the stands I offered you money for it, but you declined. Now, I'm afraid I'll just have to take it."
The creature gave a smile, but this time, its mouth was filled with sharp fangs rather than normal teeth. It spread out its arms and flew right at Harry, utilizing its wings. The thing was much stronger than it looked; it pushed Harry over right on the ground and pinned him there.
"What are you doing?" yelled Harry, fumbling for his wand.
"What…? Don't you recognize me Harry?" grinned the creature. It put one of its tiny arms up to its face and then… pulled it right off, as if it were a mask. But, once Harry saw what was under the mask, the fact that he had worn a mask before didn't matter. He tried to yell for help, but all he could do was say the name of the person whose face he saw.
"Wormtail…"